Lesson 1: Words with ie and ei

Definition Write ie when the sound is long e, except after c . Explanation Think of the famous rhyme: i before e, except after c . This little jingle is your best friend for spelling words with a long e sound, like in the word 'bee'. If you hear that 'eeeee' sound, and there's no 'c' right before it, you'll almost always use ie . It's a simple trick that works most of the time! Examples My puppy ( believes , beleives) he is a big dog. [The sound is a long e , and the letters do not follow c, so the correct spelling is believes .] The students felt a sense of ( relief , releif) after finishing the test. [The sound is a long e , and there is no c before it, so the correct spelling is relief .] A ( fierce , feirce) lion protected its cubs. [The sound is a long e , and there is no c before it, so the correct spelling is fierce .].